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Ta-Nehisi Coates

Ta-Nehisi Coates - Ta-Nehisi Coates is a senior editor for The Atlantic, where he writes about culture, politics, and social issues for TheAtlantic.com and the magazine. He is the author of the memoir The Beautiful Struggle. More

Born in 1975, the product of two beautiful parents. Raised in West Baltimore—not quite The Wire, but sometimes ill all the same. Studied at the Mecca for some years in the mid-’90s. Emerged with a purpose, if not a degree. Slowly migrated up the East Coast with a baby and my beloved, until I reached the shores of Harlem. Wrote some stuff along the way.

Bruno And Babs

By Ta-Nehisi Coates
Jul 15 2009, 1:00 PM ET Comment

I think, I'm one of the few people, in my demographic cohort, who doesn't get Sacha Baron Cohen. I get why he's funny. Indeed, I think he's hilarious. I just don't think there's anything particularly deep going on. I know there's a whole contingent of lefties who enjoy seeing bigots embarrassed and mocked. I'm not really one of them.

I think there's something bullying in Cohen's whole shtick--the way he gleefully embarrasses Red Staters but then let's Pam Anderson in on the joke. I don't know. It is funny. But I thought Jackass The Movie was funny. (I'm Roflerz for "Rocket Skates," "Ass Kicked By a Girl" and the one where they do a roller derby in a moving truck. Laughing just thinking about it.) So I don't know what that means.

That said, Young Chris, subbing for Sully, points us to Barbara Walters predictably over the top condemnation of "Bruno." Walters claims that if you aren't homophobic, this movie will make you. Right. This is akin to saying if you're not a racist, Al Sharpton will make you one. I think the greater likelihood is that, if you are  homophobic, Bruno will give you ammo. The kind of ammo you were looking for anyway.

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